SUSTAINABLE FARMING BY STAFF WRITER
Sustainable Agriculture:
Growing food security in South Africa
I
n a world already grappling with COVID, climate change, water shortage and famine, the future presents profound challenges for feeding a growing population. According to the United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP) hunger arguably kills more people than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined in Africa. Food production must double by 2050 to meet the population growth in developing countries. Organic Crops Address Challenges The organic production of crops is viewed as key to addressing environmental, social and economic challenges. It is known to deliver nutritious food products, which will help address the significantly high levels of malnutrition in Southern Africa. Its adoption by smallholder farmers would help to build resilience to the effects of climate change. Organic production focuses on building soil health, including its water-retention capacity, which helps mitigate the effects
of drought on production. South Africa, Namibia and Zambia have been subject to more frequent and severe droughts in the past few years. It also builds resilience to the emergence of new pests and disease vectors likely to result from a changing climate. Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) has been working with smallholder farmers for more than two decades. The organisation has developed training manuals, delivered training and built capacity within its member organisations, and cooperated with regional
What is needed is a change agent that uproots old ideas and changes how people think organisations to develop the organic market, particularly the participatory guarantee system in Zimbabwe and Malawi. PELUM has been working with smallholder farmers for more than two decades. The organisation
60 | Public Sector Leaders | June 2021
has developed training manuals, delivered training and built capacity within its member organisations, and cooperated with regional organisations to develop the organic market, particularly the participatory guarantee system in Zimbabwe and Malawi. Urban Harvesting The urban environment plays a huge role in shaping peoples’ health, food security and dietary habits, as well as their access to livelihood opportunities. South Africa is undergoing a rapid urbanisation, which places huge demands on land, water, housing, transport and employment. In 2005, a piece of land that is now a thriving social enterprise was barren and blended into the rest of Bezuidenhout Park. It took a dream and lots of hard work for that land to become a locally, nationally and globally recognised hub for knowledge, growth, research and social change. It all began as a 1-hectare food garden that supplied a wide
